Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga

The first four days of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament saw several upsets and a host of thrilling finishes as the "Madness" more than lived up to its name. A substantial amount of Canada Basketball athletes played roles in many of the games as 16 teams now remain. Here are some players that stood out:

Big West Player of the Year Stefan Jankovic led the University of Hawaii to an upset victory over 4-seeded California in the first round. The Serbian-born, Mississauga-grown forward played strong in the first half as the Rainbow Warriors built an11-point lead. After foul trouble put Jankovic on the bench for much of the second half, Hawaii was able to maintain the lead and secure a victory. The second round was not as kind as the Warriors bowed out to 5-seed Maryland. Despite the loss it was a great showing for the program and Jankovic as fellow Canadian, SMNT Player, and Hawaii Alumnus Carl English surely must have looked on proudly.

As the 1-seed in the West bracket the Oregon Ducks were clear favourites over Holy Cross and did not disappoint with a 91-52 victory. Montrealâ??s Chris Boucher led the way with 20 points and 5 rebounds.  The Ducks second round matchup was not as easy as they faced Atlantic-10 champion St. Joseph's. Down seven points in the final minutes, Oregonâ??s offense and full-court press, led by Mississauga's Dillon Brooks who scored 25 points, completed the game on an 18-6 run. The victory places Oregon against Duke in the 3rd round March 24th at 9:55pm e.s.t.

Kitchener product Jamal Murray led Kentucky to an impressive first-round victory over Stony Brook 85-57. The projected top-ten pick in this year's NBA draft finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks as the Wildcats advanced to face Indiana in the second round. Unfortunately, Murray struggled from 3-point range as the teamâ??s Final Four hopes crumbled with a 73-67 loss to the Hoosiers.

Down the final stretch of the regular season it was unclear whether Gonzaga would be playing in March, but they caught fire, won their Conference and secured a spot. That momentum has carried into the tournament, as the 11th seed completed two upset wins on their way to the Sweet Sixteen, in no small part to the play of All-Conference forward Kyle Wiltjer. The 6'10 Canadian paced the Zags with 17 points and some hot shooting early, as they cruised to an 82-59 victory over Utah. Gonzaga will face Syracuse in the round of sixteen March 25th at 9:40pm e.s.t.

Ottawa's Marial Shayok was pivotal off the bench as Virginia downed Butler 77-69, a victory that punched the Wahoos ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. The 6'5 guard contributed 12 points and 3 rebounds in 25 minutes of play. Virginia will face Iowa State March 25th at 7:10pm e.s.t.

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